Tonality: 8.5/10
Technicalities: 8.8/10
Timbre: 8.2/10
Soundstage: 8.5/10
Imaging: 8.2/10
Musicality (subjective): 8.8/10
Construction: 7.5/10
Accessories: 9/10
Sound value: 10/10
INTRO
Artti is an obscure OEM company from China that was manufacturing IEMs for other companies like Letshuoer before going their own brand. It seem closely connected to Volkchoi but I wasn't able to get much more info about this IEM maker.
They've been getting lotta attention on ChiFi Love, thanks to Joel Regalado for it's find about 3-4 months ago.
Then I become obsess about this IEM brand because of their extremely competitive price for IEM tech that we rarely find in sub-100$ market like 3 dynamics drivers (of different type) and the planar IEM I will review today call T10.
Priced 70$ but easily findable for 50$, the T10 use a 14.2mm planar driver that haven't nothing to envy to pricier planar and put to shame rough sounding budget planar things from KZ.
I've waited 2 months for the arrival of T10 so let's say my expectation has the time to grow and grow.
Let see in this review if it worth getting crazy about those ultra budget planar IEM.
CONSTRUCTION&ACCESSORIES
The T10 ain't gonna win a beauty contest and feel cheap in hands. Yet, when we look closer, it does use a special type of plastic that is very similar to Letshuoer DZ4 and S15, so the housing is surely made with 3D printer. Then we have a round metal back plat sticken at the back of the round housing which is rather small and have a long angled nozzle.The plastic is smooth and IEM is light and very comfortable for long listening. It's thinked to be use with ear hook and noise isolation is good enough.2pin female connector are quite tight, this mean we need to be cautious when connecting a variety of cable.
The included cable is incredible for the price, you can choose it in balanced 4.4 termination which is a big plus. Its a 4 cores high purity copper silver plated cable that don't justify urgent upgrade and will be enough for most audiophile. This is a big deal because the goal of this IEM is to be an end game budget audiophile solution so now the only thing you need it's a dongle with powerfull balanced output which can be found around 50$ easily nowadays.
The packaging is minimalist in presentation, which I like because the vain waste of fancy packaging is just ridiculous and often use to compensate lack of proper accessories which we have plenty with the Artti. We have a large enough carrying case of great quality, 6 pairs of silicone ear tips and that's it and it's plenty for the price.
SOUND IMPRESSIONS
Tonality wise these sit between U and W shape, why? Because we don’t feel it lack anything bass, mids, treble wise yet their some coloring going on, like sub bass dominating mid bass in slam, then mids lift have extra warmth that thicken fundamental and lower mids so it’s not thin like an harman target U shape, then the treble isn’t fully sparkly but have plenty of snap and air.
We are into well balanced tonality, and guilty pleasure part will hit harder with bassy music than instrumental like classical and even jazz.
Describing the T10 this way don’t do them justice since i would like to be able being 100% hysterical brainless hyper but just can’t. Yet, they merit this way more than anything KZ or even Letshuoer. The 55$ price is not normal, we are into exceptional sound value even if musicality is more boosted than technicalities with T10. Those are bassy planar for sure, slightly bright but not shouty, piercing or trebly, as well unless going Shuoer S15, you will not find as natural timbre for a planar IEM, for me only thing T10 don’t excel is male vocal, the bass warmth benefit more female vocal density and lushness here and I can’t explain why, it is like it is.
The bass as big rumble that is thick and vibrant, the slam hit hard with great headroom, it’s wide and dense, dominate by lowest range so it’s not focus on mid bass thumping punch, nor magnify sens of speed. Kick drum is a bit dark in definition but the boom is fun and euphonic, well balanced within an overall warm balance.
This mean bass line are well extracted and easy to follow, yet they don’t overly distract or dominate the mix, warm transition is well done, it don’t bleed on male or female vocal due to fast transient response of planar driver that permit open sound layering.
Acoustic bass line like double bass or electric bass has minimal bite to it so attack lead is energic and define enough, it’s not overly boosted in bite so texture of string pulling will be too much.
Don’t expect cleanest bass, though it’s not muddiest too, it’s fun, lush and weighty, it’s not very resonant too, the rumble is about thick air vibrancy that I find highly appealing. This do better with soul, R&B, rap, Trip-Hop and EDM than rock or jazz. Still, i can enjoy most music style with T10, i accept the extra sub bass boom which add sens of physicality to music, the minimal kick drum texture and mellow punch permit enough readability, while for cello it lack a bit of low mids fullness so it can be mixed up with violin in orchestra or chamber ensemble.
Yes, we are in U shape balance where sub add weight to the slam without sounding too thin or too boomy. We have plenty of ‘’oomph’’ with the T10 even if it’s not perfectly define in roundness it can go speedy and had dynamic energy to the musicality.
The mids are open, gently bright and not thin sounding. It specialize in higher pitch instrument like female vocal and saxophone, which aren’t shouty or sibilant.
Female vocal are wide in presence, breathy and textured with hint of warmth in timbre, which make them lusher and more natural sounding than alot of pricier planar IEMs.
It’s not buttery sweet though, and some might find pina gain a bit borderline high.
The layering of multiple instrument is great. and we have enough transparency to perceive different stage of music.
The piano sound realist and have enough note weight to be felt, it doesn’t tap hard in attack lead wich is softed, then the natural resonance is a bit hazy but this avoid a dry or too flat rendering too, note of piano open up with euphony.
Then the male vocal has bright presence and aren’t veiled by bass nor thicken by it, it’s a bit leaner in dynamic than female vocal and perhaps not the best for fans of Kurt Elling which has a bit too much boost in raspiness compared to visceral grunt that should densify it’s vocal. Anyway, i’ve heard way worst and male vocal are as clear as female vocal.
All in all, very good mid range for a planar, with quite natural timbre too, it's open sounding, vast and lively and we have plenty of instrument positioning accuracy that make music listening extremely captivating.
The treble is fast and snappy, has hint of brilliance that benefit acoustic guitar and percussions and extra sens of air and openness.
While energetic, it’s well balanced and percussions don’t dominate the mix even if they are well separated, lievely and easy to pin point.
It’s quite extended too, yet permissive enough for poor recording since it don’t boost background hiss like KZ PR planars which are notably more trebly.
The snare are clear and loud without being piercing, hit hat is fast and tight, crash isn’t splashy yet well resolve too.
Both electric and acoustic guitar has slightly softed attack bite lead and texture, it doesn’t sound thin or too sharp, it’s hard to pin point electric guitar or acoustic chord than single note playing due to this.
We have plenty of micro details but no unpleasant noise artefact or texture boost unbalance, the highs are very well balanced within a W shape dynamic that is agile and lively.
If you love fast snappy treble with plenty of attack bite and control, your in for alot of joy with the T10 which is a sub-100$ technical champ.
The soundstage is another highlight, its quite gigantic in fact (with right ear tips), its taller than wider but still very wide and we have plenty of depth even when bass occur.
The imaging is excellent too, thanks to fast layering capacity of planar driver and great transparency, you can travel within a 3D holographic soundscape with accurate positioning, something that is quite unheard in this price range.
Side note
Like all planar, these scale up greatly with proper amping. I suggest a minimum of 200mW@32ohm to wake up the dynamic and open up spatiality.
The ear tips too inflict alot on sound projectiong, wide bore is mandatory but their a variety of it.
The cable don't inflict alot on sound rendering, this is perhaps due to planar not being sensitive to impedance output. As well, included cable is excellent, i just suggest using balanced cable for better imaging and spatiality representation from a balanced source.
COMPARISONS
VS LETSHUOER S12
S12 is less bassy, more W shape and brighter with more spicey upper mids.
Bass is both less punchy and rumbly, it’s more texture and cleaner but more rolled off in sub bass. T10 offer wider weighter slam, chunkier overall bass, lusher in timbre and deeper more vibrant and deep in rumble.
Mids are more aggressive and thinner with the S12, its more prompt to sibilance and harshness, texture is more brighten and noisy, vocal feel more compressed and less wide in presence, they are a bit cleaner too. T10 has smoother upper mids and more creamy timbre, saxophone and vocal sound more natural and bodied, when their big slam in track is can bleed more in lower mids, so overall darker yet piano sound less recessed as well as acoustic instrument less unbalanced in presence texture and fundamental of tone.
The treble is sharper and splashier with S12, for me it’s barely bearable while T10 is smoother yet still snappy and airy, you don’t struggle finding percussions yet they aren’t as unbalanced as S12.
Soundstage is notably wider and taller with T10, while slightly deeper with S12.
Imaging is more analytical and edgy with S12, so they win in that regard if you can handle the ‘’presence boost party’’.
All in all, technical performance is on par but less boosted in clarity sharpness with T10 which i find more balanced, smoother, warmer and way more musical.
VS NICEHCK F1pro
The F1 is brighter, boomier and more W shape in term of dynamic spike.
The bass is notably more muddy in resonance with darker thinner wonkier bass line that are impossible to read properly, the slam is loose and more boomy and dominant than warmer smoother and more balance bass of T10 that has thicker rumble with faster sustain and less resonance rebound.
The mids are more sibilant and bright, has artificial timbre compared to T10 and are more shouty, note weight is thinner, piano sound more distant and hollow, among worst planar mids i’ve heard.
Then the treble is sharper, dryer and edgier, its has a metallic timbre to it which make it more artificial and hint more brilliant than T10. Snap and clap sound are more piercing and detached, we have more lower treble noisy texture and more splashy attack than overall ddarker and more balanced treble of T10.
Soundstage is about same wideness, but taller and deeper with T10.
Imaging is on par with both too.
All in all, T10 surpass the F1 in all department, bass is more controlled and balanced, mids are smoother and lusher, treble is more controlled and balanced, tonality is more natural and musical and ultimately put to shame the messy F1 that I find unlistenable.
CONCLUSION
The Artti T10 are the game changer budget planar IEM i was waiting for, it’s not perfect but nothing is even at kilobucks price.
The fact we can find these for around 50$ is just insane, add to this the great balanced cable and it’s ski high price value buy.
Those who love bassy W shape balance will be in heaven with the T10, those who need well bodied instrument presence too, those who need technical performance that hit way above it's price range too, those who need vast soundstage as well, those who lovee fast bass and rumble too...I can go on and on, it's truely the budget miracle IEM and believe me: i don't earn nothing praising those. In fact, my audiophile quest try to avoid budget IEMs which are very underwhelming either in performance or tonality to my capricious high end ears....yet, this is a planar IEM that can compete against any other planar IEM whatever the price range, and this without shame....unlike KZ offering this is a cohesive and musical tuning and thanks god, it don't go shouty like the 7HZ Dioko or other harman target disaster that seem to charm alot of ears but not mine.
I'm no hyper yet these worth hysterical praise, which I hope some will do but it seem you need to have $ earning to go all positivity nowadays....in my case, i loose $ and time doing this, it's 100% self less praise to help those budget audiophile finding very best planar deal, which T10 is without a single doubt.
This is the new budget planar benchmark to beat, before it was around 100$, with the like of Letshuoer S12.
I don't think we will see another 50$ planar as competitive as this in 2024, but if so, thanks again to Artti for pushing the bundaries because ChiFi market was a bit complecent in 2023.
VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED ( a must for those not owning planar IEM)
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PS: hum, i'm not sure i wanna thanks Volkchoi which take months to send this IEM to me...so, i just underline it's a review sample here....which worth nothing to me. 50$ is price of 3 pack of cigarette here.
You can find the T10 for 55$ here:
https://volkchoi.com/products/artti-t10-huge-planar-headphones-wired-in-ear-monitors-hifi-earphones